Absalom Shade
Encyclopedia
Absalom Shade was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
around 1793 and worked as a carpenter
in Buffalo, New York
. In 1816, he was hired by William Dickson
to manage his lands in Dumfries Township in Upper Canada
. Shade operated a general store, a mill and a distillery in the area. The settlement that developed on the Grand River
, originally known as Shade's Mills, was later known as Galt. Shade also secured a number of contracts to supply food and build roads for the Canada Company
. He helped establish the Grand River Navigation Company to help transport goods along the river. He helped establish the Gore Bank in Hamilton
and also helped develop railroads in the area. He also helped to build Galt's Trinity Anglican Church
in 1844 which still stands, and is in use, today.
In 1831, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
representing Halton
; he served until 1841.
He died at Galt in 1862.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
He was born in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County. Its county seat is Tunkhannock.-Geography:According to the U.S...
around 1793 and worked as a carpenter
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. In 1816, he was hired by William Dickson
William Dickson (Upper Canada)
William Dickson was a businessman, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Dumfries, Scotland in 1769. In 1785, he emigrated to the Niagara peninsula, where he managed mills and a store for Robert Hamilton, his cousin...
to manage his lands in Dumfries Township in Upper Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Shade operated a general store, a mill and a distillery in the area. The settlement that developed on the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
, originally known as Shade's Mills, was later known as Galt. Shade also secured a number of contracts to supply food and build roads for the Canada Company
Canada Company
The Canada Company was a large private chartered British land development company, incorporated by an act of British parliament on July 27, 1825, to aid the colonization of Upper Canada. Canada Company assisted emigrants by providing good ships, low fares, implements and tools,and inexpensive land....
. He helped establish the Grand River Navigation Company to help transport goods along the river. He helped establish the Gore Bank in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and also helped develop railroads in the area. He also helped to build Galt's Trinity Anglican Church
Trinity Anglican Church (Cambridge, Ontario)
Trinity Anglican Church is a parish of the Anglican Church of Canada located in Cambridge, Ontario. The church was built and consecrated in 1844, four years following the incorporation of the parish, by the Rt. Rev. John Strachan. The Hon. Wm...
in 1844 which still stands, and is in use, today.
In 1831, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
representing Halton
Halton County, Ontario
Halton County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.-History:Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton who was appointed in 1805 as Secretary to the Upper Canada provincial Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis...
; he served until 1841.
He died at Galt in 1862.